Together, VFW and Sport Clips Haircuts alleviate student debt for 162 veterans
KANSAS CITY, Mo.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is proud to announce 162 student veterans, including active duty and Reserves, were selected to receive a VFW’s “Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship” for the upcoming fall semester. The student veterans will collectively receive nearly $750,000 in scholarship aid, helping to narrow the gap left by exhausting GI Bill benefits and ultimately lessen their student loan burden. See the full list of recipients.
Established 11 years ago, the Help A Hero Scholarship was created through a strong relationship with Sport Clips Haircuts to help ease the financial burden service members and veterans face when achieving their post-secondary educational goals.
“Veterans’ military experience provides employers with a unique skillset, and when armed with college degrees, veterans become especially invaluable employees,” said VFW National Commander Al Lipphardt. “Sport Clips and the VFW are proud to help ensure our nation’s warriors attain the education needed to further their success in the workforce.”
“From law school to medical school to cosmetology school to flight school and more, the Help A Hero Scholarship program continues to help thousands of recipients achieve their educational goals,” said Gordon Logan, Air Force veteran, VFW Life member and founder and chairman of Sport Clips. “For more than a decade, this scholarship program has been funded primarily through donations from our generous clients and suppliers, and gives everyone at Sport Clips the chance to say thank you to the men and women who serve.”
With today’s announcement, the Help A Hero Scholarship program has now awarded more than $13.8 million in scholarships to more than 3,000 student veterans. The Help A Hero Scholarship is funded solely through donations from generous Sport Clips team members, clients, individual supporters and corporate sponsors. Applications for the spring 2025 semester are currently being accepted. To find out more on the Help A Hero scholarship or to apply, visit vfw.org/Scholarship.
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About the VFW: The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is the nation's largest and oldest major war veterans organization. Founded in 1899, the congressionally chartered VFW is comprised entirely of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, Guard and Reserve forces. With more than 1.4 million VFW and Auxiliary members located in nearly 6,000 Posts worldwide, the nonprofit veterans service organization is proud to proclaim “NO ONE DOES MORE FOR VETERANS” than the VFW, which is dedicated to veterans’ service, legislative advocacy, and military and community service programs. For more information, or to join, visit our website at vfw.org.
About Sport Clips Haircuts: Sport Clips Haircuts is headquartered in Georgetown, Texas. It was established in 1993 and began franchising in 1995. The sports-themed haircutting franchise, which specializes in haircuts for men and boys, offers online check in for clients, and ranks #44 in the Entrepreneur “Franchise 500” for 2024 and was named a 2024 Top Franchise by Franchise Business Review. There are almost 1,900 Sport Clips stores open in the U.S. and Canada. Sport Clips is the “Official Haircutter” of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), offers veterans preferential pricing on haircuts and franchises, and was named a 2021 Top Franchise for Veterans by Entrepreneur. Sport Clips provides “Haircuts with Heart” through its annual Help A Hero fundraiser that has contributed $14 million to the VFW; national partnership with St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants; and other national and local philanthropic outreach. Sport Clips is a proud sponsor of NASCAR’s Joe Gibbs Racing team, and partners with other NCAA and professional sports teams. To learn more about Sport Clips, visit sportclips.com.